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(No Model.)

` G. BHOAG.

LUMBBR DRIER. NO. 554,271. Patented Feb. 11, 1896.

#W if lf/@ as 5 -Ejlf f A* a Hf. .6 1 A llNrrnD STATES 'PATENT OFFICE..

GEORGE E. HOAG, OF TELL OITY, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF TlVO-THIRDS TO ALBERTP. FENN AND ANTON PAALZ, OF SAME PLACE.

LUMBER-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,271, dated February1 1, 1896. Application filed September 21, 1892. Serial No. 446,486. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom, may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. HOAG, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Tell City, in the county of Perry and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lumber-Driers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a lumber-drying kiln in whichthe gum, resinous matter and moisture are expelled from the lumber andcarried outside of the kiln without permitting the heat generated withinthe kiln to escape.

It is well known that lumber which is iirst subjected to a steaming orsweating process is more rapidly dried, less liable to check whileundergoing the drying process, and less liable to warp, shrink or swellafter drying.

By means of my invention the steaming and drying process is continuouslyand progressively and economically carried on.

The invention will be first fully described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and will then be particularly referred to andpointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are indicated by similarreference-letters wherever they occur throughout the various views,Figure l is a vertical longitudinal central sectional view of adrying-kiln embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transversesectional view of the same, taken through line no of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is adetail view, in perspective, of the front part of the kiln, part of theside wall being broken away to more clearly show the internalarrangement of the vapor-condensin g chamber.

The walls of the kiln are preferably formed of a framework of timbers ofsuitable strength, covered by jointed siding-boards A on the outside andtongue-and-groove ceiling-boards A' on the inside. A non-conductingmaterial of tar-paper is placed over the framing-work before the sidingand ceiling boards are secured to it, thus forming an air-chamber abetween the inner and outer walls to prevent the radiation of heatgenerated within the kiln. The supporting-timbers B, upon which thetracktimbers b are supported, are shorter at the rear than at the frontof the kiln, so that the tracks incline from front to rear, as does alsothe roof af of the main kiln.

The lower portion of the Vkiln is iioored with tongue-andgroove boardsfrom the point l to the point 2, forming a chamber between the iioor band 5 5 the bottom of the kiln b2. The front and rear of the kiln areprovided with vertically-sliding doors A2 in the usual manner.

Above the front of the kiln is a condensingchamber A3, the roof of whichinclines from 6o one side to the other. Vithin this condensing-chamberare arranged transversely rooftimbers a2, which support metalcondensingplates as, forming a transverse roof across the con(lensing-chamber, and below this roof is a 6 5 similar roof at Theseroofs are supported upon transverse timbers et, and have gutters a6 uponeach side of the roofs to carry the Cooling-water and water ofcondensation from the roofs to the outside of the building., where 7othey are discharged into funnels a7 at the top of branch pipes whichconduct them to the discharge-pipes as.

O is a cold-water pipe, which has branches c c c2 leading from ittransversely across the 75 front end of the kiln. Each of these branchesis perforated on the top and covered by semicircular deiectors The sprayfrom the pipes c c is deiiected upon the condensingplates a3 a4, and thespray from the branch 8o pipe c2 is deflected upon an inclined metalplate D, arranged below the iioor b', at the front end of the kiln.

Underneath the track-plates at the rear end of the kiln is arranged thesteam heating-coil 8 5 of the wood and softens the gum or resinousmatter in the wood, which is carried off with the vapors to the upperpart of the kiln and to the front of the kiln, which is thecondensing-chamber. The heated vapors striking the under side of themetal plate a2 are condensed ,10o

by the cold water passing upon the outside, and also by striking theoutside of the roof al and passing through the spray from the branchpipe c. That portion of the vapor which passes underneath the roof d* isde- Elected up against the roof by the detlectingplate a9, and passingover it descends through the opening1 b3 in the floor h', and anymoisture in the air which passes through this opening is condensed uponthe inclined plate D, so that the air passing through the chamberbetween the floor and the floor of the kiln b2 is comparatively freefrom moisture and is carried to the heating-pipes and the lower portionthereof by the deflecting-plate G and from them up through the piles oflumber in the rear end of the kiln, driving from the said piles oflumber whatever moisture remains in them after they have passed throughthe steaming process and reached the rear of the kiln.

It will thus be seen that the steaming and drying process is continuous,and that when the last pile in the kiln is thoroughly dried the reardoor of the kiln is opened, one pile of lumber Withdrawn, and then thefront door is opened, another pile of lumber pushed into the kiln, andthe piles advanced to the positions shown in the drawings. l have foundby experience that lumber thus dried is free from cracks and checks, andthat it is thoroughly dried and seasoned in less time and at lessexpenditure of fuel than by the old process.

The top, front, and rear side of the con- (lensing-chamber are providedwith doors a, which in cold weather may be thrown open to cool thecondensing-plate a3, in which case the water maybe turned off from thebranch pipe c.

The deflectors cS may be omitted and the perforations made in the lowersides of the pipes to spray upon the delecting-plates a3, a4, and D;butin this case the pipes would require to be kept clean, as theresinous or gummysubstance carried by the vapors passing them would havea tendency to clog the openings, while the spray thrown down from thedeflectors prevents the vapors from passing o'ver the perforatedportions of the pipes and closing them.

that I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a lumber-drying kiln, the combination of the lumber-chamber,the condensing-chamber above its receiving end and having within it thecondensing-roofs one above the other, thespray-pipes perforated upontheir top sides and arranged above the apex of said roofs, thesemicircular deflectors arranged above the pipes to deflect the sprayupon the roofs, the gutters underneath the lower edges of said roofs toconvey the water to the outside of the condensing-chamber, theheating-chainber open on top at front and rear, the condensing-plate Din the front of said chamber, and the heating-pipes in the rear thereof,and the spray-pipe above the said condensingplate, substantially asshown and described.

GEORGE E. HOAG. lVitnesses:

Guo. J. MURRAY, M. L. MURRAY.

